Write-In Mayoral Candidate Marc Maron: 'Not Sure I'm Right for the Job'

Only about 14 percent of registered Democrats voted in New York City's September primary election. Of those who did, 343,054 voted for the incumbent, Mayor Bill de Blasio. Others chose to write in names like Michael Bloomberg, Snoop Dogg, and Minerva McGonagall, of Harry Potter fame (and fiction).

Former mayoral candidate Christine Quinn, who lost a close primary race to de Blasio in 2013, earned 82 write-in votes this time around. She says low turnout in city elections isn't novel. 

"Look, there's no way to say that New York City's voter turnout is anything but deplorable," Quinn told WNYC. "It's an enormous disappointment, not just in this election, but historically in the city of New York."

But it hasn't always been this way, at least in the general election. In 1953, when Robert Wagner won the mayoral race, 93 percent of eligible New Yorkers voted. And in 1989, 60 percent of New Yorkers showed up to elect David Dinkins, the city's first black mayor, over Rudy Giuliani. 

Turnout in the last mayoral election, in 2013, hit a record low—about 24 percent of registered voters cast ballots.

The reasons for this downward trend—the power of incumbents, wealth inequality, an off-year election cycle that lends itself to a patronage system—were detailed in a 2013 report by current Death, Sex & Money host Anna Sale.

The reason people use their right to vote by writing in Mariah Carey or Howard Stern remains a little more mysterious.

Comedian and podcast host Marc Maron received one vote in last month's mayoral primary. He told WNYC that he's "flattered" to have been written in, though he doesn't think he's "right for the job." He did, however, have a message for New York City voters:

"Try to transcend hate and unnecessary hostility," Maron said. "And if we can get some infrastructure money going, that would be great."

This Friday, October 13, is the deadline to have your voter registration form turned in—not postmarked—before the general election on November 7. It's also the deadline to update your party affiliation before the 2018 midterm primaries. Registration can be done online, by mail or in-person. Check here for full details from the Board of Elections.

And one more thing. We know voter booth selfies are verboten in New York, but you CAN take registration form selfies. (Just don't take a picture of your form with all of your personal information.) So, take a photo of yourself with your closed envelope and tweet it at @WNYC, using #PartyOn2018. And tag a friend who you think could use a reminder to register before Friday's deadline. Let's make sure everyone who wants to can vote in November — and the June 2018 primary.